In this post, I examine how abortion language functions in M. R. Carey's 2014 zombie novel The Girl with All the Gifts. I devoured (heh, heh) most of the novel last week on an airplane. One of the things that struck me was how a group of children--not quite human, and not quite zombie--were referred to as "frigging little abortions." This post will be as spoiler-free as possible. Some of you may want to read the book, which I enthusiatically recommend. Or, you may want to see the film, which … [Read more...]
My yoga practice and rape culture
This post discusses rape, sexual harassment, and rape culture. Read with whatever care you need. Birth of a Nation and black feminists' solidarity Birth of a Nation is a film that chronicles the 1831 slave rebellion led by Nat Turner. In the autumn of 2016, the anticipation over Birth of a Nation became somewhat overshadowed by the history of its director, co-writer, and star, Nate Parker. In 1999, Parker was charged with rape. He was acquitted. His then college roommate, and Birth of a Nation … [Read more...]
Rape culture and HBO’s Game of Thrones
On September 16, 2016 the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo organized a Rape Culture Teach-A-Thon. Fourteen teachers from Arts gave 10-15 minute talks on rape culture in their areas of expertise. I spoke about Game of Thrones. While I am not a cultural theorist or an expert in fantasy literature, I am a huge Game of Thrones fan. I took my fan-hood to give me enough expertise to discuss rape culture in the franchise--primarily in HBO's adaptation. For this post, I've shared the … [Read more...]